


Low Pressure System

by karavasa



Series: Storm Surge [1]
Category: Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Infidelity, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-02-18 09:11:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2343005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karavasa/pseuds/karavasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sue questions her marriage thanks to Reed's lopsided priorities. Namor is ready and willing to tempt her, but can she bring herself to take the plunge?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sue Richards ran a cautious finger across the lid of the small, white box on the table before her. It had arrived by special courier nearly a half hour ago, but she’d been reluctant to look inside.

The formidable security measures of the Baxter Building meant that the contents were free of any known chemical, biological, explosive, radioactive, or mutagenic residues. But Sue understood, better than any of her teammates might have, that a lack of obvious danger didn’t make something safe.

She shook her head, frustrated at her own hesitation. When had the Invisible Woman become so skittish? She opened the box, pushed aside a thin layer of tissue, and promptly forgot to breathe.

The first thing she saw was the key, attached to a brass fob stamped with a three-digit number. She hadn’t seen such an old-fashioned hotel key in decades, and the anachronism of it deepened her sense of shock. Beneath the key was a small, linen card.

_The Plaza, 7pm.  
               -N_

Sue’s hands shook a little as she tore the invitation into unreadable shreds. She stuffed the key in the pocket of her jeans and threw out the rest.

It was madness even to consider it. He couldn’t seriously expect to see her, and it was already past five. Sue went to shower. She wasn't getting ready to meet him; she just wanted the hot spray of water to help clear her head.

She lingered in the shower, wondering how things had come to this. She had good friends, a rewarding career, and amazing children. In the midst of all that good fortune, it seemed almost petty to dwell on the fact that she’d fallen out of love with her husband.

Reed had never been the most attentive spouse, but she never doubted his love for her.  It used to be enough. There was a time when Sue would just shrug and write off his frequent all-nighters in the lab as the cost of being with a genius.

When she first started to feel lonely, she spoke to him about it. His behavior changed immediately. Reed carved out a little more time to spend with her, and if some of those moments were spent scribbling on cocktail napkins, at least he was making an effort. For her part, Sue tried not to mind the nights when he’d give her one last distracted kiss before rolling out of bed to go back to work.

Their lovemaking, while more frequent, began to feel hurried and precise, as if Reed had mapped out the most efficient ways to bring them both to orgasm. He didn’t notice her growing discontent, and she didn’t expect him to. He’d never been one for scrutinizing his life with the same purity of focus that drove his experiments.

Sue made the best of things. She contented herself with Reed’s absentminded affection, telling herself that love was more important than desire. She willed herself to be his bright and cheerful wife, and through it all, Sue smiled.

A few months ago, the careful façade she’d built came crashing down. She and Reed had been upgrading the sensors on the Fantasticar, and she’d gone to check that the new data feeds were connecting with the lab computers. Sue shut down the program after confirming that the sensors worked as expected, but she noticed her name on one of the other screens as she turned to walk away. And right there, on Reed’s to-do list between “calibrate the new Fantasticar sensors” and “order more chromic acid” was an entry for “make love to Sue.” He had it set up as a recurring task.

Seeing their love life reduced to an action item broke something inside her. Sue tried to tell herself that she was being unfair, but she couldn’t rationalize the pain away. How could she love a man who might forget to want her unless he jogged his memory?

When he came to bed that night, she pretended to be asleep. A few days after that, she told him she had a headache. He never questioned her excuses, and why would he? If Sue wasn’t in the mood for sex then that left him more time for his other priorities.

Sue found herself craving solitude, taking long walks in the park by the harbor. She told herself that, in time, she could become resigned to a life with no real passion in it. She still had her family and her team. It wasn’t as if she truly needed more.

As she toweled off and picked through her lingerie drawer, Sue reminded herself that she probably wasn’t even going.


	2. Chapter 2

In his lavish suite at the Plaza Hotel, Namor sat waiting.

The staff had just delivered dinner for two, salmon in a light sauce, along with a chilled bottle of Riesling. A key slid into the lock promptly at seven, and his mouth quirked into a narrow smile. Susan had always been punctual.

He stood when she entered, though as he might have expected, she was invisible. He didn’t think that was strictly necessary; the Plaza’s staff was discreet. But it was easy to understand why the married mother of two might feel more comfortable ghosting through the halls of the luxury hotel.

She faded into view once the door was closed and locked behind her, and the sight of her made Namor’s breath hitch high in his chest. As always, Susan was beautiful. She wore a blue blouse and a narrow black skirt that skimmed her curves. After a long look he dragged his eyes back to her face, taking pleasure in the flush that rose on her pale neck.

Namor greeted her with a chaste kiss on the cheek, and then he pulled out her chair. She sat without speaking and looked over the meal with surprise. Had she expected him to launch directly into some coarse seduction? His desire for Susan Storm was an old thing, long-simmering. If he might finally be fortunate enough to indulge it, he planned to savor every moment of the preliminaries.

“It’s good to see you, Susan,” he said as he poured the wine.

“It’s… it’s good to see you, too.” She took the glass he extended, bringing it to her lips for a steadying sip.

“There are things we must speak of, but first we should eat.” He gestured at the plates before them. “If the fish isn’t to your liking, I can call for something else.”

Susan shook her head. “It looks delicious, thank you.”

He steered the conversation through mundane topics while they dined, asking after her brother and children before catching her up on recent events in Atlantis. He wanted to put her at ease, but there was no denying the thread of tension that wound beneath their every exchange.

Namor rose when they finished the meal, walking to the set of massive windows that overlooked Central Park. He watched Susan’s reflection as she followed. Her steps were quick but also halting, as if she was still torn about her purpose.

The time for reticence had passed. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“It’s complicated,” she said. Her voice was quiet.

“When your relationship with Richards is concerned, it often is. But what has he done, Susan?”

Her ragged laugh held a note of bitterness that did not suit her. “Nothing. He’s done nothing at all.”

Namor’s hands clenched to fists as he caught her meaning. _That bloodless, unnatural fool_. He had watched this cycle play out time and again, stood helplessly by as Reed’s neglect sapped his wife’s confidence and muted her spirit. But Susan had always insisted that she was happy in her marriage. The last time Namor pushed too hard on the subject she had turned on him, full of fire and fury. Magnificent in her anger. Something had clearly changed.

Another man might tread more softly here, reluctant to take advantage. But Namor knew what he wanted, and he knew what Susan deserved.

She turned to him then, her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted.

It would be a simple thing to crush her to his chest, to seek her mouth with his own. As she stood there before him, nearly trembling with need, he knew she would yield to his embrace. She might want to lose herself in the moment, beyond any thought or reason, but Namor had his pride. He needed her to choose this, to choose him.

“Why are we here, Susan?”

“You… you asked me to come.” Her brow furrowed.

If he was kinder, Namor might have left it at that. “Nearly every day for the past two weeks you’ve lingered, visibly upset, at the edge of the harbor. Again and again you returned to the one place in the city where my scouts would bring me news of your distress.”

She looked out at the park, at the darkening sky. “I wasn’t thinking of it that way.”

“Perhaps not, but I am here just the same.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes before running the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “So what would you have of me?”


	3. Chapter 3

As he stood there, waiting for an answer, Sue felt trapped by the weight of his gaze.

Namor had always been an unrepentant flirt; their history was peppered with stolen kisses. Both of them knew that if he kissed her again tonight, it might lead to something more. So why was he so interested in talking?

Did he want her to admit what she was feeling? To tell him, in no uncertain terms, that she’d come here expecting to wake tomorrow morning in his arms? The idea made her face feel hot. But no matter how the subject was raised, being with Namor would change things. If she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud, then she shouldn’t do it either.

“I want to stay the night. Here. With you.” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

He came half a step closer. “Are you certain? I want to be your lover, Susan Storm, not your mistake.”

His posture spoke of barely leashed impulses, but Sue knew she could shatter that restraint. She stretched a hand out, setting it lightly against his chest. “I’ve always liked the way you look at me. I’m tired of pretending I don’t. I think about it sometimes, on those days when nobody else in my life seems to see me. So take me to bed, Namor. Let me show you how you make me feel.”

Suddenly there was no more space between them. He’d closed that gap in an instant, molding his body to hers. The kiss was hard and perfect, and Sue felt rather than heard the rumble of satisfaction he made at the contact.

Namor’s hands were everywhere. They twined in her hair, slid down her arms, gripped at her waist as she pressed herself up against his mouth. His narrow-fingered hands worked at the zip of her skirt moments before it puddled around her heels. They plucked open the buttons of her blouse, and then that was gone, too.

His mouth followed the path of newly revealed skin, nuzzling at her neck before planting a line of searing kisses along her collarbone. She tugged at his bodysuit, stretching the skimpy top half off his shoulders, wanting more of his skin on her own.

Sue kicked out of her shoes, gasping as he gripped her thighs and lifted her. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist while he flicked open the clasp of her bra. As her back thudded against the wall, she wrestled out of the lace and elastic. Namor caught his breath at the sight, and he skimmed a hand up her side once she was firmly pinned in place.

Then he was kissing her again. The kisses they’d shared before tonight had been sweet and quick, always tempered with the understanding that things could go no further. This was different. Namor’s tongue pushed into her mouth with ruthless self-assurance, and with an intensity that left her trembling in anticipation.

His hand found her breast and teased at the nipple, sending a jolt of pleasure tingling down her spine. Sue clutched at his shoulders, ground her hips against him; she wanted something, anything more. Namor shifted her weight in response, settling her on the thick erection that strained inside his leggings.

_Yes_ , she thought, _right there_. She rocked herself against him, heat building between her thighs.

“Do you like that, Susan? Feeling what you do to me?” The breath behind his words slipped across her skin, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.

She hooked her thumbs in his waistband by way of reply, trying to strip him further, but she was wrapped too closely around him to do more than fumble at the fabric. He changed his hold on her again, stepping them back away from the wall, towards the bedroom door.

Namor lowered her to the floor as they entered, backing her against the bed before easing her onto the crisp hotel sheets. He smoothed both hands up her flanks, stretching her arms above her head, holding them there briefly before moving back from the bed.

His eyes roamed over her, taking her in by the ambient light that spilled in through the windows. He murmured something, using a smoky voice too low for her to hear, and then he pulled off the rest of the bodysuit.

Sue’s mouth went dry at the sight. Of course Namor’s body was hardly a mystery; his wardrobe ranged from skintight to barely-there. She’d become very, very good at pretending not to notice that, though. Being here with him, like this, meant she no longer had to hide her appreciation. Those lean, sculpted muscles and angular lines gave him a sleekness she’d always found attractive. And the heavy cock that jutted out, hard and ready from a thatch of coarse black hair, made her face feel hot.

He mounted the bed, coming up beside her while his lips sought her mouth, her jaw, her throat. She turned and pulled him closer. His every touch sent fire through her veins, but Sue had no patience for soft caresses now. She kissed him harder. And while he returned the kiss with equal passion, he kept moving his hands in a thorough, maddeningly slow exploration of her body.

“Namor, please.” She sounded breathy, maybe even a little wanton, but she found it hard to care.

“What is it you wish, Susan? Shall I touch you, like this?” He set a hand between her legs, stroking lightly over the inconvenient lace panties she still wore. Sue moaned as he continued. “Would you like me to taste you there? To hold you writhing beneath my tongue until you beg for release? Or perhaps you’d prefer that I fill you, slow and sure, until the world shatters around us both?”

Sue bit at her lower lip, suddenly embarrassed. She wasn’t used to speaking so openly about desire. Still, there was no sense in holding back now. “I want to make love. But…”

His eyes, gone wide and dark, caught hers and held them. “Tell me.”

“I want you to take me,” she said, trying to ignore the furious blush that she felt rising across her cheeks. “Don’t be gentle.”

Namor leaned over to nip lightly at her earlobe before whispering a response. "That, sweet Susan, would be my pleasure."


	4. Chapter 4

If this was a dream, then Namor did not wish to wake from it. Susan Storm in his bed, entirely nude save for a tiny piece of satin and lace that scarcely covered her… hm. He grabbed the fabric in both hands ripped at it, tossing the useless shreds aside after it tore. That was better.

He dragged a hand across the golden curls that covered her sex, dipping his fingers lower. She was already soaked for him. He’d planned to take his time with this, to use his hands and tongue to worship her properly before allowing either of them more. But Susan had been quite specific about her needs.

_Take me_. _Don’t be gentle_. Despite the words, her tone had been nearly demure. The contrast stirred him, making him all the more eager to do just as she’d asked.

Namor pumped two fingers inside her. She was so very wet, more than ready. He rubbed hard at her clit with his thumb, and she cried out, making a sweet, inarticulate sound. That was fine for a start, though he intended to wring his name from her lips repeatedly before the night was over.

He moved over her then, using his body to cage her against the mattress while he kissed her. How many times had he pictured this? And now Susan was here, warm and eager beneath him, asking him to play the forceful lover. Could it be that they were enacting _her_ long-held fantasy rather than his?

It was an intoxicating thought, but he put it aside. The task she had set was worthy of his complete attention. He bent his head lower, grazing kisses down her jawline as he reached for a small foil packet on the nightstand.

She grabbed at his wrist. “You can skip that, if you want.” So he tossed the condom away.

He parted her thighs and moved between them, rubbing his erection along her entrance. Susan arched her back at the contact. She lifted her chin, exposing her neck, and her eyelids fluttered shut. There was only one thing lacking.

“Look at me, Susan,” he said, nearly growling the command. She obeyed, opening her eyes again, and he sank into her with one smooth stroke.

Susan let out a quiet moan and he stilled, reveling in the slick, hot feel of her wrapped so tight around him. He held himself, suspended above and inside her, until he’d memorized every detail of the moment. Then Namor began to move.

He gripped her waist with one hand, using the other to hold his weight as he found a rhythm that pleased him. She exhaled sharply and soon matched his pace. Her arms snaked around his back, drawing him closer, and he leaned down to run his tongue along the shell of her ear. “You are. So. Perfect.”

She slipped a hand lower, cupping his ass. Squeezing it. “Namor. Oh god.” Her voice was ragged.

The rest of the city fell away. His perceptions narrowed to include only Susan, her lips, her sighs. Her hands across his skin. The charming sounds she made as he urged her to further blasphemies. He drove into her hard, ever mindful of her pretty request, while she canted her hips up and took him deeper still. She called his name over and over, sending him perilously close to the edge.

A swell of pressure rose in him. He wanted to give up all semblance of control, to lose himself in the feeling. But there was something he wanted even more.

Namor pulled away, noting the distressed little sound that escaped her throat. She had just enough time to look a question at him before he flipped her, dragging her from her stomach up to her knees.

“Oh. Oh!” She abandoned further attempts at speech as he plunged his aching cock inside her again.

Fingers dug into flesh as he snapped himself against Susan’s flawless ass, and he set a palm on her back to keep her still. Then he adjusted his posture, changing the angle of his thrusts ever so slightly until he found the spot that made her breath hitch low in her throat. _Right there_.

Susan’s thighs began to shake as he worked his body into her. Quick gasps bled into a steady keening, and then she was clenching him tight, quivering around him, bucking under his hands. She shouted something, a few short syllables that he lost as his own release spilled through him. The spike of pleasure swamped his senses, fading only as he collapsed in a boneless heap at her side. 

His only thought then was to pull her close, to hold her tight against his chest. She was still trembling. Namor nuzzled against the back of her neck, breathing in what traces of her scent he could catch beneath the smell of her citrus shampoo. After a time he rose, walked to the restroom, and fetched them a towel. When he returned to the bed she reached for him, burrowing back into his arms.

As Susan’s breath settled into the steady patterns of sleep, he made her a silent vow. He would do whatever was necessary to make her feel as cherished, as secure as she deserved. He wouldn’t press her to come away with him, to abandon her whole life to become his queen beneath the waters. He wouldn’t push for anything she was reluctant to give.

If that meant sending her back to the damned tower Richards built for her, so be it.


	5. Chapter 5

Sue woke to find the Prince of Atlantis playing with her hair.

She came to consciousness slowly, snugged back against his broad chest while he twisted his fingers lightly through her sleep-tousled waves. There was none of that sense of confusion she sometimes experienced on waking in an unfamiliar place. She knew precisely where she was, who she was with. What they’d done. What they'd woken up a few hours later and done again.

The guilt would come later; Sue was sure she’d eventually face down great, wracking piles of it. She ought to have taken her grievances to Reed, pushed for a formal separation first. But that was pain for another day.

Despite her misgivings, she couldn’t muster up any regret. Namor had been masterful, claiming every gasp and sigh he drew from her as if they were some royal prerogative. Sex with him had been as amazing as she’d always assumed it would be. But as she’d also assumed, it was never going to be just about the sex.

He wanted all of her, down deep on some primal level that she still didn’t quite understand. Her younger self had been startled by the intensity of it. His regard was a force of nature, like a sweeping tide that threatened to swamp her plain, good sense. But Sue had gotten better at reading him over the years, and he’d shown willing to temper his impulses for her sake. It was a start.

She rolled over then, turning in his arms to rest her head against his shoulder. He picked out another lock of her hair, wound it through his fingers, and smoothed it back into place before speaking. “I suppose you’ll need to go soon.”

“Yes,” Sue said. Franklin and Valeria were visiting the Power family so they weren’t a concern for today. And Reed wouldn’t have noticed her absence; he’d moved his things into one of the guest rooms over a month ago. She still needed to get back sooner rather than later. “I know we haven’t talked about what comes next…”

Namor leaned down to place a light kiss at the corner of her mouth. “You have children to think of. And responsibilities. I won’t force you into any hasty decisions.”

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Then she kissed him, long and slow, before climbing out of bed to claim the shower.

Two plastic-wrapped toiletry kits, one pink and one blue, were laid out on the vanity, and Sue found herself grateful for the presumption as she washed, brushed her teeth, and dried her hair. Those travel-size toiletry items nagged at her though. The spacious bathroom held every comfort she could wish for, but it was still bland and impersonal, duplicated twenty times over on this floor alone. Is this what being with Namor would be like for the foreseeable future? Mass produced landscape art and individually wrapped curls of floss? It cast a tawdry pall over her mood.

Sue frowned as she wrapped herself in a towel and went out to gather her clothes. She found her skirt and shoes quickly enough, but how had her bra gotten all the way over _there_? When she came across the tattered pieces of her panties she waved them at Namor. “I really liked these!”

Further words of mock-reproach flew right out of her head. He lay in the bed, on his side, propped up on one elbow. The cut chest muscles and tapered waist pulled her attention lower, down to the sheet draped loosely below his chiseled hipbones. _Damn_.

“So did I,” he said with a leer. He'd dipped into what Sue had always thought of as his bedroom voice: smooth, rich, but a little arrogant too. Like he knew exactly how she melted at the sight of him.

Sue glanced out the window, almost angry at the lightening sky above the park. Grey-blue light was giving way to pink and orange, and sooner or later she’d be missed at home. She gnawed at her lip, wondering.

He followed her gaze and sat up, bunching the sheet in his lap. “When may I see you again?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. The kids would be away for the rest of the week. Sue had a board meeting to prep for though, and she also needed to sign off on the initial plans for the charity ball the Fantastic Four would be hosting. Long days of tedious duty stretched out before her, and wasn’t that always the way? Reed had the luxury of burying himself in the lab while Johnny chased women and Ben wallowed in his latest funk. But Sue was dependable; she handled things. Maybe it was time to indulge herself for once.

Sue dropped her clothes back on the floor without a word and walked out to the living area. She grabbed her phone, checked her calendar, and sent a few messages. Then she turned the ringer off. When she returned to the bedroom, Namor had one eyebrow quirked in a silent question. She loosened the towel and let it fall.

Just a hint of his trademark smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I thought you were leaving.”

“I am. Later.” She climbed into bed and pushed him back against the mattress. “But my schedule has been cleared for the day.”

His smile grew as he reached for her, and for a long while their only words were short and encouraging.

This was going to make one hell of a mess, but Sue was confident in her decision. She’d deal with whatever fallout it brought. And as she thought about Namor, looking up at her with an expression that mingled reverence and several darker things, she knew that every bit of the coming storm was going to be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is it for now, but I've definitely got ideas for sequel stories. There are a ton of other things I'm planning to work on though, so if you'd like more smut-ridden Sue and Namor drama sooner rather than later, be sure to hit kudos (or comment) so I'll know that there's interest in it.
> 
> I've placed this story in a series, so you may want to bookmark or subscribe to that to get word of future installments.


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